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This blog is dedicated to Malta - my island home. My aim is not to bore you with history but to share my thoughts and a few facts together with a photo or two. For a more in -depth background of the island please go here. The purpose of this blog is not to point out the short-comings of the island. There are plenty that do that already. My wish is to show you the beauty of an island at the cross roads of the Mediterranean, a melting pot of history; a place where fact and fiction are sometimes fused to create unique myths and legends; a country that has been conquered so many times that our culture is a mish mesh of the lands that surround us and of lands far away. I confess that my greatest desire is to make you fall in love with this tiny enchanting island.

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Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Maltese Recipes: Tuna & Spinach Pie

I thought it would be fun to occasionally share a local recipe. Whether this one is one hundred per cent local, or whether it is an adaptation of a recipe from nearby Sicily, I cannot tell you. What I can tell you is that the recipe below is my own version of the traditional one. It has become a family favourite and is even easy enough for this lazy cook.

Ingredients

Short-crust pastry (enough to cover the top and bottom of a 9-inch pie-pan)

2 large cans tuna(app. 160g each) , drained

500g - 700g spinach (fresh or frozen)

1 large onion, diced

2 tablespoons capers

100g olives

1/2 teaspoon dried mint

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

olive oil

1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method

Boil the spinach in boiling water until cooked. Drain water carefully. (I use a potato masher to squeeze out as much water as possible).

Fry the diced onion in olive oil.

Add the herbs, olives, tuna, spinach and capers and cook for a few minutes.

Add the tomato paste and mix well.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with pastry.

Pour in the tuna and spinach mixture.

Cover the top of the pie with another layer of pastry and scatter the sesame seeds.

Prick the top layer of pastry with a fork.

Bake in an oven at 200C for 30 minutes.

I am sorry that I have no pie pictures to share but we were in too much of a hurry to eat it.

It’s been raining and the weather has cooled down a bit (perfect weather for pies, in my opinion). Octobers have a tendency to be rather warm here but, in spite of everything, change is coming. What remains to be seen is whether the change will be slow or fast. I find that I am spending a lot of time thinking and reminiscing and some of that is going to spill over into my posts, both here and on Stories and Scribbles. You will also be noticing a few subtle changes, in content and in layout, on this blog as had promised a few weeks ago.

Speaking of rain … I have nearly always shared photos taken on sunny days. However, today I would like you to take a short walk with me through the rainy streets of my home-town. These narrow, winding streets and alleys form part of the old town core.

Hundreds of years ago (before 800AD) this area fell within the walls of Mdina. It is highly likely that beneath the streets we walk on today are the remains of houses from that far-off time. The current buildings, although not as ancient, still date back to the late 1400s. This is especially true of the ground-floor level. Typically, upper levels were added at a later period.

Not all of these houses are in their original condition. But, thankfully, many have been preserved allowing us a glimpse into the way people lived so many years ago.

Loree, I think autumn *is* the perfect time for pies and I'm sorry we didn't get a picture but can well understand the urgency to dig in! :) How would this work without tomato paste, do you think? What might be a good substitute?

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All content and photos on this site, unless otherwise stated, are property of the author. Please do not copy without permission.There are no paid adverts on this blog. Any reviews are the personal opinion of the author.I will glady link to other blogs/websites about Malta as long as the content is non-political and non-offensive in nature. If you would like me to link to your blog, please send me an e-mail at stories.scribbles@gmail.com. Thank you.